The Title Is The Only Thing I Didn't Love

Godzilla Minus One
Toho Studios (2023)

I've been a fan of Godzilla movies since I was seven years old.  I haven't seen every one ever made, but I've watched a hell of a lot of them over the past 36 years, and I have no hesitation in saying that Godzilla Minus One is my favorite out of all the ones I've seen.

Godzilla Minus One begins in the final days of World War II and it tells the story of a young kamikaze pilot named Kōichi Shikishima who refuses his suicide mission and is one of only two survivors of a Godzilla attack on Odo Island.  The story continues in the years following the war.  Shikishima returns home after the war to find that his family has been killed.  He and two other survivors come together to become a family of their own as they struggle to survive and rebuild with the looming threat of the giant monster.

It's a much more dramatic and human-centered story than any of the Godzilla movies that I've seen before, and it's absolutely fantastic.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone whether they're fan of kaiju movies or not.